Day 550 of the Invasion of Ukraine: Russia confirmed Prigozhin's death

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Day 550 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

• The Russian Investigative Committee confirmed Prigozhin's death
• Three Ukrainian pilots died in a collision of military planes in Ukraine
• A second ship with grain left Odesa, according to a Ukrainian MP - to Bulgaria
• Putin obliged the "Wagnerites" to sign an oath of allegiance to Russia

The Russian Investigative Committee confirmed Prigozhin's death

The Russian Investigative Committee confirmed the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin. The TASS agency writes that the genetic identification of those who died in the plane crash in the Tver region has been completed, and among them is the leader of the Wagner military group.

Prigozhin and other Wagner commanders were among the recorded passengers on the downed plane, and the investigative committee now confirms that these were all ten victims.

Yevgeny Prigozhin died in the crash two months after his fighters launched a failed coup attempt in Russia.

Three Ukrainian pilots died in a collision of military planes in Ukraine

Ukrainian air defenses repelled a Russian air attack on the outskirts of Kyiv early this morning, the military administration said.

The air alert was announced in all areas and then ended, there is also information about explosions.

President Volodymyr Zelensky honored the memory of the three Ukrainian military pilots who died in a collision between L-39 training aircraft in the sky over Zhytomyr Oblast, on the Day of Ukrainian Aviation.

In his usual address, Zelensky expressed his condolences to the relatives.

Among the victims of the accident is the famous fighter pilot Andrii Pilshchykov (Juice). According to Zelensky, he made a significant contribution to the Ukrainian air defense in repelling Russian attacks.

Rest in Peace “Juice”

It’s a shame that you never got to fly the F-16s

The West should have taken the decision to send them to Ukraine back in March 2022.

If we had done that, F-16s would have been used in the counteroffensive going on in Zaporizhzhia right now… pic.twitter.com/Vr93AROREU

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) August 26, 2023

The President of Ukraine announced that there will be a thorough investigation into the incident and the country will never forget those who defended its free skies.

The reputation of military pilots is of utmost importance to Kyiv, observers note.

Ukraine has been demanding the F-16 from its allies for months. Several countries have already pledged fighter jets as well as pilot training.

On the front in the southern part of the country, Ukrainian troops are pushing the Russians out of their last positions in the Robotyne stronghold.

On the eastern front, Russian troops are only 4 kilometers from the important city of Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast.

Ukraine yesterday sent a second cargo ship this month from Odesa to Varna as a test for the alternative corridor with which Kyiv seeks to bypass the Russian blockade of the Black Sea.

A second ship with grain left Odesa, according to a Ukrainian MP - to Bulgaria

A second ship has left the port of the Ukrainian city of Odesa since Russia's withdrawal from the grain deal.

On Telegram, a Ukrainian MP claims that the ship is sailing to Bulgaria. Since Moscow's withdrawal from the agreement, Ukrainian ports have come under massive shelling.

Against this background - another exchange of blows. Russia said it shot down three drones near Moscow and Belgorod. Six people in the Belgorod Region were injured. Flights at the main Moscow airports "Vnukovo", "Domodedovo" and "Sheremetyevo" were suspended.

Two people were killed in Russian shelling of a village in Ukraine's Kharkiv Oblast.

Putin obliged the "Wagnerites" to sign an oath of allegiance to Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree obliging Wagner's fighters to sign an oath of allegiance to Russia, Reuters reported. This happened just two days after the plane crash in which the head of the group Yevgeny Prigozhin died. The Kremlin categorically rejected Western suggestions that the businessman was killed on the orders of the Russian head of state.

The mandatory oath introduced by Putin for the "Wagnerites" also applies to the other private military companies participating in the "special military operation". In this way, these groups will be placed under stricter state control.

In the decree, the oath is presented as a step towards building the spiritual and moral foundations of Russian defense. Its wording obliges fighters to strictly carry out the orders of commanders and high-ranking leaders.

Western politicians and analysts suggest that Putin ordered the assassination of Prigozhin to punish the warlord for the June 23 and 24 rebellion organized by Wagner, Reuters noted. The "March for Justice", which reached about 200 kilometers from Moscow before it was called off, was the biggest test of the Putin regime since the president took power more than two decades ago.

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